This month on Unpacked, we're diving into Afar's just-released Where to Go list—but this year's picks are different. In 2026, we want to lessen the burden on overtouristed destinations and expand visitation to other parts of the world. Our editors carefully selected 24 emerging regions and overlooked locales that will inspire your next great adventure.
For Laikipia, that means looking beyond the overcrowded Maasai Mara to discover a Kenyan plateau where half the country's black rhinos roam, where you might be the only vehicle at a sighting, and where conservation and community go hand in hand.
In this episode, host Aislyn Greene talks with Alexandra Owens, a travel writer who specializes in conservation tourism and sub-Saharan Africa. Alexandra shares why this network of community-run conservancies offers a model for what safari can be: high value, low impact, and genuinely beneficial to local communities.
Plan Your Laikipia Safari
(Listen to the View From Afar episode about the Great Migration controversy.)
Stay
—Book a stay at andBeyond Suyian, a new lodge that opened in July 2024 on Suyian Conservancy
—Try Segera Retreat, a conservancy with a collaborative relationship with local communities and a new rhino sanctuary
—Stay at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, one of the original conservancies in the region, known for its rhino protection program and house-made goat cheese
See and Do
—Visit Ol Pejeta Conservancy to see the last two northern white rhinos on Earth—a mother and daughter—and learn about groundbreaking efforts to bring the species back from functional extinction
—Consider hiring a safari advisor, especially if visiting multiple conservancies—they can help with charter flights and insider experiences. Alexandra recommends Tamsyn Fricker at Travel Artistry Africa and Chris Liebenberg at Piper & Heath
Resources
• Follow Alexandra's work on Instagram.
• Visit Alexandra's website
• Learn more about Space for Giants, the elephant conservation NGO working in Laikipia
• Explore all 24 destinations on Afar's Where to Go in 2026 list
• Follow us on Instagram: @afarmedia
Listen to All the Episodes in our Where to Go 2026 Series
E1: This Island in the Bahamas Promises Pink Sand, Historic Hideaways, and Perfect Solitude
E2: Why Peru's Second City Might Be Its Best-Kept Secret
E3: The New 170-Mile Hiking Network Connecting Stockholm's Dreamy Archipelago
E4: Route 66 Turns 100—and Albuquerque Is Ready to Celebrate
E5: Why Morocco's Chill Capital Deserves Your Attention
E6: Three Hours From Nashville, the South's Next Great Food Capital Is Waiting
E7: The French Riviera's Last Stop Before Italy—and Its Best-Kept Secret
E8: Skip the Serengeti Traffic Jams for This Under-the-Radar Kenyan Safari (this one!)
Stay Connected
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Explore our other podcasts, View From Afar, about the people and companies shaping the future of travel, and Travel Tales, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us.
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